Tammy Duckworth Leaves U.S. Veterans Affairs Office

June 13, 2011 7:55 PM

Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, arrives at a World War II Memorial ceremony in March. (Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

Filed under

Local, News, Politics

Don't Miss This

Pinball, Beer & Arcade Games: Check Out Chicago's Pinball Alley

Best Pulled Pork In Chicago

Baseball Photos Of The Week

Best Mini Golf In The Chicagoland Area

Best Burgers In Chicago: Paradise Pup

CHICAGO (AP) – Tammy Duckworth, the Iraq War veteran from Illinois who started a career in government after recovering from serious injuries, has resigned her position as an assistant secretary of U.S. Veterans Affairs.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports Monday that Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki says Duckworth submitted her resignation. Duckworth lost a close bid for Congress in 2006 to Illinois Republican Pete Roskam.

Running for a U.S. House seat still remains an option for her.

Shinseki says the 43-year-old Duckworth served with distinction and offered advocacy and leadership.

The Hoffman Estates veteran was a helicopter pilot in Iraq when she lost both her legs and partial use of one arm in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in 2004.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Duckworth’s nomination to the Veterans Affairs post in April 2009.

She previously was chief of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs and served with the Illinois National Guard.

Tammy Duckworth Leaves U.S. Veterans Affairs Office

billyd

Just a wild guess, but I’ll be happy to make a bet with anyone that she’s doing this so she can run for Congress again in one of these newly gerrymandered districts. And she’ll win, because the Illinois legislature has stacked the deck in democrats’ favor. What a system.
tom sharp

I agree with you, especially with that moron Quinn in charge. Her background and $2,25 get you a ride on the El, not a Congressional seat!
Ann Filipski

Wow! Guess being a servant to your country is no longer worthy of respect. Would you say the same thing about this if she were a man?????

Billyd

Well, yes, Ann, we would. Let me ask you another question. Do Ms. Duckworth’s gender and military credentials give her some special kind of immunity?

Patty

Actually, they don’t give her special immunity, but I’d like for you “Billyd” to get on a helicopter in Iraq & have a rocket-propelled grenade blow your legs up :)
billyd

I have an idea. Let’s just give her the position by universal acclaim. That way, she won’t even have to go through the indignities of the democratic process. You girls are wacky!
Bob

If you have heard her speak, you know she is an ispiration to allot of people. What does it matter that she is running for Congress. As for the newly gerrymandered districts, if the Republicans were in charge, it would be the same thing. I live in Virginia. I see the same thing happening here but when the Republicans are in charge the Democrats cry foul and when the Democrats are in charge, the Republicans cry foul. Our problem is we keep on electing the same individuals that can’t make a decision because it will cost them their job. Congress doesn’t want to bring down the deficit since to vote on a balanced approach would require we cut programs and raise taxes (recend the $900 billion tax give-away). Before you compleain about a rigged system, look to congress now and see that we have cowards who are only interested in protecting their jobs and not protecting America! Be ie either Democrat or Republican! Every two years we have the opportunity to vote in a new House of Representatives and 1/3 of a new Senate. This coming election we will be able to elect a new president or keep the one we have. Either way, let us deal with the bigger issues and not worry about a corrupt state. Our national leaders are far worse. Let’s complain about them. Oh by the way, the economic conditions that led to the housing boon, started with Ronald Regans Tax cut and the lack of enforcement by both Clinton and Bush. I don’t see how the current President and Congress can do anything unless they are willing to make the TOUGH decision that are necessary to fix our country’s economy.
Raymond Prudente

I believe it was Bill Clinton and his economic advisers who worked hard, generated millions of jobs… created greatest economic expansion in American history. 5 Trillion dollars $$$$$ surplus was left from the Clinton Administration was spent on the rich and richer under Bush Administration. Utilized to financed tax cut for the wealthy. Now the richer are crying socialism. Middle-class are paying more taxes than the rich and wealthy. Tammy Duckworth is a patriot, warrior and an honest public servant.

Brian Moore

Hey Raymond, what surplus are you refering too? The Clinton surplus never existed under normal accounting methods. When people refer back to a Clinton surplus they ignore that Social Security revenue is an off the book revenue (ie the lockbox). Acknowledging that revenue means admitting there is no lockbox (that’s to you Sen. Clinton).

Even ignoring that, let me ask you a question. Why do you think there was 5 TRILLON dollar surplus during Clinton’s Administration? That was more than the entire national debt at the start of Clintons terms. Go check the treasury department website. You will find the federal debt went up every single year Clinton was in office.

09/30/1998 5,526,193,008,897.62
09/30/1997 5,413,146,011,397.34
09/30/1996 5,224,810,939,135.73
09/29/1995 4,973,982,900,709.39
09/30/1994 4,692,749,910,013.32
09/30/1993 4,411,488,883,139.38
09/30/1992 4,064,620,655,521.66

Where is the surplus you claim Clinton had? It didn’t pay down any debt?

Bush for reference took the 5.6 Trillion debt and balloned it to about nine Trillion. in another eight years.

Obama grew from nine Trillion to 14.34 Trillion today. In just two years! More debt than every president preceding from Cleveland to Clinton. Want to guess what the federal debt will be in another two years. It’s projected to be more than 17 Trillion.